Smith - Daniel - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

"Among the venerable farmers of Montgomery County, no one is more worthy of a place in her chronicles than is the gentleman of whom this is a life record, as he is a member of a family whose history has been closely connected with that of this region for more than half a century. Daniel Smith, of Ripley township, who has attained the advanced age of eighty-three years, has proved a very useful acquisition to the citizenship of the County since he took up his abode here, his ability as a farmer making him a valuable assistant in maintaining and extending the most important of the industries of this region. He is a self-made man in the broadest sense of the word and the architect of his own fortune. He has been a resident of the Wabash Valley country for many decades, and during this time has been one of the chief promoters of its upward progress, laboring harmoniously with other co-workers in the march of improvements, and winning in his efforts for the common good, the esteem of the community by whom he has been surrounded, and he in every way is deserving of the high regard in which he is universally held, for his life had been carefully lived with regard to right and wrong, and he has been helpful to his neighbors. Mr. Smith was born in the state of Ohio, on December 1, 1827. He is a son of Solomon and Jane (Marshall) Smith. The father of the subject was a farmer all his life, and he settled in Ohio in a very early day. His family consisted of six children, of whom Daniel, of this review is the only one living. Daniel Smith grew to manhood on the home farm, and there worked hard as a boy, for the sons of all pioneers had plenty to do in developing the virgin soil and winning a living from resisting nature. He had scarcely any opportunity to obtain an education, schools being scare in his time and were taught only a few months in the winter time. However, later in life, he read extensively and became a well informed man on current topics. On November 1, 1857, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Catherine Thomas, who was born in Ohio April 17, 1838. She proved to be a very faithful helpmeet, and she was called to her eternal rest on April 17, 1905. Seven children were born to Daniel Smith and his wife, five of whom are still living, namely: Edward, Howard, Hamlet, Lenley, who is postmaster at Alamo, this County; Daniel is deceased; George is also deceased; and Estella, the youngest, married Harry Cheney, and they have one child, Ruth. They live with the subject and Estella keeps house for her father. Mr. Smith learned the carpenter's trade when a young man, and he became a very skillful workman, his services being in great demand. He followed his trade until he was fifty years old, when he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, purchasing the farm which he still owns in Ripley township, and here he has become quite well established, and has engaged successfully in general farming and stock raising. He is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres, well improved and under a fine state of cultivation, Mr. Smith having made all the improvements himself. He has a pleasant home and good outbuildings. His land is all tillable, and it has been so well looked after this it has retained its original fertility and strength of soil. Although now one of the patriarchs of the County, he is comparatively well preserved, and looks after his farm and livestock in a general way. He attributes his long life and his health to steady and temperate habits and right thinking. He first came to Montgomery County in 1835, and since then has been one of our most enthusiastic citizens, and has lived the life of a good citizen in every respect. Politically, Mr. Smith is a Republican; however, he has never been much of a worker politically. Fraternally, he belongs to the Masonic Order at Alamo, and he is a member of the Presbyterian Church."